We had the pleasure of sitting down with Ced Legger, guitarist of the amazing KingCrown, the other day to chat about their latest album, the European metal scene and their plans for the future. Check it out below!

Firstly, how would you describe your sound? I kept going between heavy metal and power metal, personally! 

To answer your question, I would say that you are absolutely right! The style is a clever mix between Heavy, all that is most conventional and Power with in a Helloween / GammaRay / Hammerfall sauce to name a few.

How does it feel to have the album out? It seems to have been received well! 

It was really a surprise for us because we did something different compared to our previous album ‘Wake Up Call’, although it was just a continuation of it… The difference is that at the time, we had only had a few weeks to release ‘Wake Up Call’, we – Bob, Seb and I – had just joined the band, while with ‘Nova Atlantis’ we took the time to polish it properly, think about it and have a fairly objective perspective on its direction and composition. The album was clearly a success where most of the reviews all around the world, if not the majority, were more than complimentary and the feedback from our fans is just as much, very excited to discover the album live, so yes, we are very happy about it!

Is there a particular story or theme the album is based around? The tracks all certainly feel linked! 

The songs are certainly linked but this is not a concept album. The themes addressed come together in the sense that they touch a sensitivity and a very special attraction for the mysteries that have marked and continue to mark humanity, such as the theme of the New Atlantis or the Bermuda Triangle. Mysticism and its singularity is a flagship theme at KingCrown and we agree on it, especially in the fact of making the listener enter a universe that is our own, filled with mysteries and questions of all kinds.

It’s your third album now, how would you say your sound and band have changed in that time? 

I wouldn’t say that it has changed but that it has evolved, logically of course with the new current line-up which dates from June 2021… From there and at the dawn of ‘Wake Up Call’, the die was cast and we knew very quickly where to go. I think it’s due to the fact that today we have a very rare and envied cohesion between all of us, it helps to come together to build something together and communicate it in concerts. We get along as much personally, in private as on stage, for example, my alter-ego Bob became my daughter’s godfather (laughs). It is obvious that with this kind of bond, the sauce can only take and has, I am sure, other surprises in store for us!

What is the songwriting process like for you? 

The process is very simple, everyone brings their ideas, their compositions. We are lucky to each have a home studio thanks to which we have the possibility of recording the different ideas or songs that we have. We send them to each other and then we discuss them, refine them, perfect them etc…. Then we get together for a weekend where we listen to them and discuss them. 

That’s where everything comes to life where all the ideas generally flow! But it’s a trap because we don’t know how to stop!

Have you got a busy 2025 planned in support of the album? See you guys are typically quite busy with shows! 

We do have a few dates booked and confirmed for 2025 including a huge surprise that we will reveal in due time! I’m not going to lie, most of the dates will be German and/or European, although a few are in France. It is a sad reality that French festivals, even the most famous and publicized ones, are not interested in us…. I think it is due to the fact that Heavy Metal is not very successful, except for the biggest names, in our country… but these festivals do not give their chances, or on very rare occasions, to bands like us to hit their stages, and it’s a shame. 

However, we would love to play more often at home, unfortunately for reasons I don’t know, Heavy Metal in France is not as valued as in Germany, Belgium or Scandinavia…. Or even in Spain and Italy !!!

What would you say the scene in Europe is like currently? From what I’ve seen it seems to be thriving!

This question goes straight to what I was saying lol flourishing? Yes, certainly in Germany or even other Slavic or Germanic countries but not in France unfortunately…. It is sad to see that small modest French festivals are shunned by metalheads in France because they do not welcome, for budgetary reasons obviously, the cream of Metal like giants like Hellfest or Motocultor… 

These more modest festivals nevertheless welcome equally excellent bands, with whom we have shared the stage and who have absolutely nothing to envy the giants of the genre, just because no one goes there to know them, support them, except for the fact of resting on their laurels and spending large sums of money to attend huge events that welcome groups that no longer need advertising. 

These small festivals have in their ranks passionate people, who give a chance to bands that are just as deserving, we sometimes played in venues where we had barely twenty people in front of us… It’s sad and discouraging… While in countries like Germany, full houses, every night of the week, known band or not! 

This is the big difference in mentality between French and European Metal. 

It’s sad but it’s real.

Any plans/hopes to come over to the UK? 

For the moment, unfortunately no, but know that we would be extremely happy and flattered to be invited to the United Kingdom, if the opportunity were given to us! So if any promoters of any UK festivals like Bloodstock, or Hard Rock Hell are reading this interview, please get in touch!!

Any dream tour lineup you’d want to be a part of? Any big band you want to support or friends you want to bring on the road with you?

I would dream of being able to open for a Iron Maiden tour, or, more modestly Helloween, Symphony X, Blind Guardian, GammaRay…. lol it would really be a great accomplishment and I would of course bring my wife and daughters lol! It’s nice to dream! But…. you never know!